An individual’s employability can be greatly influenced by their sense of professional identity. This is associated with their beliefs about whether they can perform professional tasks, achieve their career goals and embody what they perceive as the ideal characteristics of a professional in their chosen field. Practicum is a unique, experiential source for strengthening this perceived self-efficacy. Research was undertaken to track student perceptions of their professional identity in their 3rd year of tertiary environmental health study before, during and after their practicum experiences. The results show a growth in perception of a personal professional identity and highlight the following key factors as being influential: the duration of experience in the field on placement; progression through their degree; self-confidence; and being recognised by the profession as being employable. Students sense a clear distinction between identifying as a student to identifying as a professional and they perceive that both sufficient progress through their degree and work-based practicum experience are necessary for them to make this transition successfully. Research will continue into the critical nuances of the practicum experience.